Saint Joseph Catholic Church

Cardinal Grech acknowledged that his audience was awaiting from him a comment on the decisions made by Germany’s Synodal Way.

After comparing synodality to an orchestra, Cardinal Grech said that “what constitutes the distinctive nature of a synod, therefore, is not its infallibility, but rather the actual presence of Christ and His Spirit, a presence that emerges within the symphony, within the harmony among the participants.”

He added:

I am here for this very reason: to undertake with you the synodal exercise of tuning our instruments. The symphony, harmony and communion as a collective work, comes into being precisely through this continuous choice to play together, to be all tuned to the same note. Then, each instrument will interpret its own score, contributing richness and beauty to the single symphonic work.

This means having no fear of differences; rather than allowing them to become sources of conflict and opposition, we make them grounds for discernment, for mutual listening, and for a shared desire to follow the Risen One and to recognize the signs of the times.

Among other items—including the consecration of the nation to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus—the bishops will discuss proposed revisions to their Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, the conference’s document addressing the sexual abuse of minors.

The proposed revisions, according to the USCCB, seek to balance “care of and sensitivity to victim-survivors” with “an awareness of due-process, the rights of the accused,” while taking into account Vatican documents of recent years.

At the beginning of his general audience today in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV offered an extended public greeting to Aram I, head of the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia.